


They, in Marseilles

by clow



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 23:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clow/pseuds/clow
Summary: Marseille's got nothing on Kyungsoo. Seoul's not the same without Chanyeol.





	They, in Marseilles

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Line for beta-ing this, and thanks to Sun for the prompt.

It's seven thirty in the morning. 

Chanyeol hits the snooze without letting his alarm clock ring a second time. His arm slips to the wooden floor and he dozes a little more until it sets off again. 

He still has the horrible rooster (more like cockatrice) alarm Kyungsoo had set for him six months ago. Back in the days, Baekhyun from three doors down, had hated it and had tried coaxing Chanyeol into changing it with bribery of all sorts, but Chanyeol declared he wouldn't ever change even if he were offered the sun, the moon, the stars or the entire galaxy. 

He'd _only_ change if Kyungsoo asked him to, and to that his boyfriend had said, "change when you want to." 

 

It's a sunny morning in Marseille. He tries to get a whiff of the sea breeze, but it's rather mild and it's still chilly so he closes the window as he braces for a sneeze that actually doesn't come.

Moments later, he's got a toothbrush in his mouth, and his black locks are curled upwards because he didn't dry his hair the night before. He trips over a previously discarded towel on his way out of his washroom, and almost falls on his face. He gets back on his feet only to find himself looking down at his unmade bed. After a minute of contemplation, he decides to leave it the way it is, out of misdirected spite.

But then he thinks of Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo would have him make his bed. Chanyeol smiles.

So he does his bed. But he's mainly reminiscing about that one morning they had slow and languid sex, Chanyeol whining about not wanting to get out of bed let alone make it. Kyungsoo had lectured him through kisses and caresses as they'd rocked their bodies against one another. 

 

Chanyeol draws the curtains again and checks outside: laidback cosmopolitan life portrayed in the quiet streets of Marseille that are only starting to bustle and stir, sunlight streaming in the narrow streets lined with tall houses, cool air of a new day of mid-June.

He remembers trying to drag Kyungsoo out. Telling him they need to go get some fresh air. Otherwise they'd only breathe sex-imbued oxygen and that couldn't be healthy to breathe twenty-four-seven. Kyungsoo had whacked the back of his head and then kissed it better, taking a moment to breathe Chanyeol's shampoo, hands splayed over his shoulder before running down to the other's chest before saying, "okay, fine." A pause. "Carry me on your back?" Kyungsoo would giggle and then— "No, just kidding, nO— pUT ME DOWN." 

 

 

Chanyeol walks down the slope to the small breakfast place to get a coffee and a pain au chocolat. Wooden wind chimes jingle as he steps through the door. 

"Bon matin. Un petit café. Pas de sucre ni de crème. Un pain au chocolat. S'il vous plait, merci," he says in curt and choppy sentences, his voice soft and low because he's unsure about his accent, unsure if he's even saying it right. He hopes he is. The patissier smiles. 

"Oui, bien sûre."

Chanyeol goes to his new workplace.

He's an intern – a "commis de cuisine". It's the first step in the culinary world. So far he's only standing on the side, trying to catch up with all the French, trying to watch them do their magic while they holler things left and right like they're miles apart. It's a busy world in the kitchen. Bustling and bubbling. Today they have two expeditors too. Things always seem so much crazier with too many of those around. The executive chef is busy tasting about seven things at a time. The sous chef is picking up the slack because someone's on vacation. 

"Work smarter, not harder. Roulez vos manches. Allez, allez, allez."

"Yes chef."

"I'll need the sauce for the foie gras."

"Coming up."

"Make the line straighter."

"Yes chef."

"We need three boeuf bourguignons, four crying gigots, two bouillabaisses. Where're they?"

" _Coming up_."

"Oui, Chanyeol? Need something?" 

"We're low on forks?" Chanyeol blanks out. "Fourchettes…?"

At three, the shift ends. He cleans up and helps putting the chairs away. 

 

 

He does some grocery shopping at a nearby supermarket before he goes back home. He misses Kyungsoo's lists of things to buy. Misses Kyungsoo's handwriting. The notes on the refrigerator. The recipes scribbled in their shared notebook. 

He misses Kyungsoo accompanying him down the aisles of canned sauces. He wants Kyungsoo to see how fresh the fish are over here, how shiny the fish eyes are glistening, how saline the air smells.

Chanyeol kicks the door open, toes off his shoes and places the paper bags on a counter. He dumps the keys into a bowl, takes off his light jacket.

When he cooks, he thinks about Kyungsoo again. God, Chanyeol tells himself. When will he ever stop thinking about Kyungsoo?

He fries eggs and he thinks of Kyungsoo. He sets up the table and he thinks of Kyungsoo. He takes out the kimchi from the fridge and he thinks of Kyungsoo. He seasons his meat and he thinks of Kyungsoo. He chops vegetables and he thinks of Kyungsoo ('s manly hands working the knife, working the onions like a pro, not like Chanyeol who's weeping crocodile tears over them). He stirs the soup and he thinks of Kyungsoo backhugging him when he's cooking, saying, "Hey, wasn't it my turn to cook tonight? Give me the spoon. Ugh. See? Tastes disgustingly good. God. Keep going. I'll set the table. Or do you need help?"

He always thinks of Kyungsoo when he cooks. Does Kyungsoo think of him?

Chanyeol then thinks in recursive. Does Kyungsoo think of him thinking of Kyungsoo? Because he's thinking about Kyungsoo thinking of him thinking of Kyungsoo. This can go on forever in his mind. Chanyeol's food goes cold before he snaps out of it. 

He sits on the carpet and pulls over his laptop. It's around five-thirty in the evening. It's late in Kyungsoo's timezone, but he said he'd call at Chanyeol's six.

One episode of Miraculous Ladybug later, Kyungsoo calls in, and Chanyeol pretty much leaps from his couch to the laptop on the carpet, hits "accept" and adjusts the volume to max.

"How was your day," Kyungsoo's voice comes along before the visual turns on. Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Shit wifi connection.

Chanyeol clears his throat. He keeps it cool. "It was alright."

Kyungsoo's webcam finally works, and then Chanyeol loses his cool. "Hey handsome."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "Nice to see you too. Can you put your laptop on a desk?"

Chanyeol quickly stands up with his laptop. "Yeah. Sorry. That was definitely not my crotch."

"You think I wouldn't recognise your crotch." 

"Y...yeah okay," Chanyeol says playfully as he sits at his dining table, placing the laptop so that it would show his face and not nether regions.

"Right."

Chanyeol looks at Kyungsoo's environment. It seems like the bed. Kyungsoo is in a couple's flannel pyjama set they got together on Valentines Day last year.

"It's late now. We can't talk too much," Chanyeol points out.

"It's fine. I'm not that tired."

"How's everything? How's everyone?"

"Oh, lots of news. Baekhyun's got a new boyfriend. I've got an interview coming up next week."

"Wow, congratulations! Where at? And how's his new boyfriend?"

"Baekhyun's head over heels for him. He seems really friendly. Sort of looks like a Pikachu. Also, Soigné. Seorae Maeul."

"SOIGNÉ! That's pretty upscale! Best of luck!!! Break a spatula!!! I'M SO HAPPYYY AND PROUD OF YOUUU!!!" Chanyeol exclaims.

"Louder, Chanyeol. I think Baekhyun and his boyfriend from three doors down can't hear you quite," Kyungsoo says as he winces. 

"Lower your volume?"

"I wouldn't be able to hear the finer details of your beautiful voice, and I'd hear _them_ being extremely loud in a whole other way."

"Aww, that's flattering. I hope the first clause here is the key clause."

"Yes. Of course, Yeol."

"You could also use earphones. Kill two birds with one stone."

"Would have, but they broke this morning on my way to work."

"Go get my headphones then. They should be in the second drawer on the right of my desk."

"Thanks. Be right back?"

"Yep."

Kyungsoo comes back with the headphones.

"What will you be wearing for the interview?" Chanyeol asks.

"Yeah… I need help with that… do you think I should wear navy or black or—"

"Navy, the one with the subtle pattern. I can't remember your whole tie collection though so you'll need to take a photo," Chanyeol answers excitedly.

Kyungsoo rubs an eye. "Ugh. How about tomorrow? I'm a bit lazy to get up again."

"Don't sweat it. I guess it's late. Maybe I could try to sleep early and then I could wake up earlier and then—"

"You could but I'd be heading to work. The interview isn't due till next week so we have the weekend to talk about my tie collection."

"Ahh… when's the next time we _can_ talk?"

"Ummm… How early can you be back from work tomorrow?"

"Your ten-ish?"

"Maybe we could talk then?"

"I would want a shower first cause I'd stink of bouillabaisse but you could always watch me shower!!"

"I don't think it's safe to have electronics in the washroom while you're showering."

"Things would definitely get steamy," Chanyeol coos.

"Don't you have the tiniest washroom too?" Kyungsoo asks, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, it’s the type where I need to hang my head low and fold my wings if I want to get in."

"By wings, did you mean your arms or your ears." 

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"I try."

 

 

"What did you eat tonight?" Kyungsoo asks.

"Lots of my favourite dishes that you used to make for me. How about you?"

"I made a few dishes you used to make for me too. Though, your ratatouille does taste tenfold better."

"And your kimchis are so much better. I think I used too many slices of apple this time," Chanyeol responds.

They talk about food for a long while. It reminds Chanyeol of their first date. And all their subsequent dates. And just Kyungsoo cooking. In an apron Chanyeol bought him. Talking to him about ingredients. Talking to him about new recipes he wants to try out. Together. Some day in the future.

 

 

"You should sleep soon," Chanyeol says when they've talked for an hour and a half. They can usually go longer (much longer) but Kyungsoo's had a long day and it's really really late now.

"I don't feel like it," Kyungsoo says despite the yawn he hides with a hand. "Not tired."

"You're yawning. I can see you. And your eyes are like, closed. That's … usually indication enough."

"I want to stay on a bit longer. We haven't been able to talk, and I…"

Chanyeol waits. He waits for it, heart pounding slow and steady.

"I… I miss you," Kyungsoo finishes. 

 

 

Chanyeol's bed feels less empty that evening. He slept incredibly well. His pillows are less stained with tears this time. 

He wakes up when a cockatrice alarm goes off at three in the morning. His laptop is open on his night-table, plugged in, screen slightly dimmed, but still bright because it's still pretty pitch-black in Chanyeol's room.

It's Kyungsoo's alarm on the other side of the line. 

And Kyungsoo lets it go on. Kyungsoo's the only one who can sleep through that hellish alarm, Chanyeol thinks tenderly.

He watches as his boyfriend wakes up. Looks at Kyungsoo, waits for the heart shaped smile he usually kissed, in the mornings back when he was still in Seoul.

He dreams of them cuddling in bed. 

He dozes off a bit.

He hears Kyungsoo mumble _shit, sorry, it's still early where you are, I should have turned off my alarm_.

Chanyeol shakes his head languidly. He sleep-answers:

 

_Nah. It's fine. I like this. Seeing your face and all, between dreams. Just tuck me in. I'm not due before seven. Have a good day at work. Love you._

 

Kyungsoo smiles and then murmurs, "Uh-huh." 

 

 

Chanyeol wakes up at seven in the morning when his own alarm rings. It's much crisper than the first one four hours ago, and he almost knocks his head against the headboard when he sits up.

His laptop is still open but Kyungsoo'd ended the call. Chanyeol scratches the back of his neck, yawning and then rubbing his eye before he looks at the screen.

Kyungsoo's left him a few messages.

They read:

**soo [03:06:53]** /tucks you in.  
 **soo [03:07:06]** /kisses.  
 **soo [03:10:10]** ilu 2  
 **soo [03:12:56]** have a good day. go dazzle the line cooks. i know u can do it.

Chanyeol falls off his bed.

 

 

Today is a great day, he thinks gleefully.

 

 

**pcy [07:04:22]** xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> The title is actually a crossword puzzle hint. The answer to it is "Ils" ("they" in French). I like that the hint suggests a location, suggests some kind of space when the answer is reduced to just the pronoun, as if nothing in the world can really separate them (chansoo).


End file.
